Saturday, January 5, 2013
Generic: Cabaret
FPP's annual Musical Cabaret is always a good time. Flashy dancing, exuberant singing.... wait. That's next semester? So this is.... ohhhh Kander and Ebb? THEY DID THAT?!?!
Yes. GENERIC theater company did. And might I say, they did a pretty fine job with it.
Company Presentation
Generic let this one get away from them a little bit. Seriously, the hype for this show was out of control. I half expected to walk in and find that Andy Lieberman had turned into Neil Patrick Harris, and that all the kit kat girls had been replaced with super models whose voices had been trained by Kander and Ebb themselves. No joke, if the lights had come up on the living, breathing, baby Jesus I would have nodded said, "yeah, that makes sense."
The hype was so great, in fact, that I was really worried the show wouldn't even come close. From all the stories I was hearing I was afraid I was walking into an oversexualized, strip-dance, Andy Lieberman love fest (not that that isn't my every interaction with Andy - Love you boo :-* ). As will be said, I was pleasantly surprised.
On the other hand, the poster is fierce if frightening. Certianly, it's an eye-grabber. It does make the downstage look a bit like the type of dark basement you would particularly want to avoid though.
Set
What? That's it? That's the set? A couple of door frames, some tables and chairs, and one big platform? Really?
Yes, really. And while it was boring and confusing as a first impression (especially given all the hype), Maddie made it WORK. The table seating downstage truly made the audience a part of the performance. The bare bones set was reminiscent of a sketchy, dive bar's late night cabaret, and yet, at the drop of a hat, perfectly transformed into an apartment building or bedroom.
Creative, yet simple. My favorite.
Lights
I will say one thing about the light design. Not only was the downstage lit, it was designed. The lights were not only functional - but a critical part of the production.
Acting
There was no one in this production who stood out as a poor actor. And that is what made it truly enjoyable. Every performer new their role and fulfilled it. The kit kat girls stole the show - each one developing their own personality and working it on the stage. As for everyone else - wonderful job. It was hard to pick out performers for shout outs on this one, but here goes:
Madison Awalt - In the end, how is it possible to NOT talk about Sally in Cabaret? Madison's performance was outstanding. Her Sally was bubbly and energetic while heartbreaking at the same time. Her performance of "Maybe This Time" was tear jerking and certainly had a lump rising in my throat. While perhaps at times, especially early in the show, Madison slipped too far into the "persona" of it all, the overall effect was charming, and bitterly sad.
Lauren Winters - I loved seeing Lauren perform. Not only is her voice stunning, but she gave herself over fully to the character. Her story line was probably the most compelling of the entire production. Endearing and lovable, her Fauline Shneider was superb. I am excited to act along side her in the New Plays Festival in the coming semester.
Andy Lieberman - As I said before there was a lot of hype around Andy in the days prior to opening. And that makes sense now for two reasons. One, the role was perfect for him. And two, Andy put his heart and soul into it and it paid off. The fun-loving nature of the Emcee, mingled with the sinister rise of the Nazis, and culminating in a final moment of revelation was, in a word, breathtaking.
Directing
I'd like to take this moment to offer my sincerest congratulations to director Maddie Hendricks and the entire production team. Not only was the vision clear and powerful, but it was executed wonderfully and every actor seemed to have gotten the coaching they needed. It was clear, however, that this was a group effort by the production team. While Maddie's character work and staging were wonderful, the show would have fallen flat without the work of Rick Westerkamp and Hope McCaffrey. Rick provided the first instance of motivated choreography I had seen all year. Hope's work, especially with solo numbers, filled in the sound. But, it was Maddie Hendricks who made the whole thing happen. Cheers to all of you!
Anyone hoping to top Cabaret for best musical of the year is going to have a tough time. I dare you to do it.
See you in the theater,
Ed
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